With Ganesh Chaturthi coming up tomorrow, there's already a festive spirit in the air. Dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the 10-day festival is celebrated across the country with much fervour. While there are many rituals associated with the festival, it is also the time when you will find yourself indulging in a delicious range of festive sweets. Popular sweet shops are stocked with irresistible modaks and ladoos, but there's nothing quite like preparing these treats at home for a sweet affair. If you are expecting guests at home and are looking for ideas to make homemade sweets, we present three delectable festive recipes that are not too difficult to master:
1. Kesari Modak
(Recipe by Chef Vipin Kishore, Aloft New Delhi Aerocity)
Ganesh Chaturthi is never complete without indulging in this traditional sweet. Made of rice flour, there are many varieties of modaks you can easily dish out at home.
Ingredients:
200 gm rice flour
150ml water
A pinch of salt
30 gm ghee
150 gm grated coconut
150 gm jaggery
2 gm cardamom powder
20 gm cashew nut (roasted)
15 gm raisins
1 gm saffron
Method:
1. Boil water, add a pinch of salt along with a teaspoon of ghee, saffron, and pour the rice flour. Cover with the damp cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a pan, add ghee followed by grated coconut and jaggery (for stuffing). Mix with the above mixture and then add cardamom powder, roasted cashew nuts and raisins.
3. Wet your hands with water and oil to knead into a soft dough. Now start to take some dough and flatten it out. Stuff with the filling and shape them into modaks.
4. Keep the modaks covered with a wet cloth as they can dry out.
5. Heat up 1 inch of water in an idli cooker and place a banana leaf. Put the modaks on top and steam them for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove and serve.
(Also read: 6 Gluten Free Ways To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth)
The all-time favourite modaks
2. Chocolate Modak
(Recipe by Yogesh Ghorpade, Uplodefoodie)
A modern take on the traditional sweet, chocolate modaks are loved by both kids and elders. This is an easy recipe where rice flour is replaced with powdered biscuits.
Ingredients:
50 ml milk
1/2 can condensed milk
275 gm chocolate chips
1 cup powdered digestive biscuits
Nuts of your choice
Method:
1. To make this, start by mixing milk and condensed milk in a pan over medium heat. As soon as it begins to boil, turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips into the pan and keep stirring until it melts.
2. Turn on the heat and cook the mixture over a low flame. As soon as it begins to thicken, add powdered biscuits and stir till it forms a dough. You can also add chopped pistachios to give it a nutty twist.
3. Let the mixture cool, and then start shaping them into modaks. Garnish with chocolate chips and roasted pistachios and serve.
3. Motichoor ladoo
(Recipe by Chef Gaurav Anand, Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru Hebbal)
If there's an Indian sweet that is a must-have during festival time, it is motichoor ladoo. The best part is that you can also make it at home without too much effort.
Ingredients:
2 cup besan
2 tbsp rava
1/4 tsp saffron
1 1/2 cup water
Oil for frying
2 tbsp cashew
2 tbsp pistachios chopped
For sugar syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp saffron
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Method:
1. Mix besan, rava, saffron and water to make a batter for the boondi. Using a perforated sieve, drop a spoonful of the batter through the sieve into a pan of hot oil. Deep fry until golden and then remove and drain excess oil. Do this in batches.
2. Make the sugar syrup by heating water and sugar in a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and keep it on the flame until it starts to thicken. Add the boondis and mix well to coat them.
3. Continue to cook for 2 -3 minutes or until sugar syrup thickens. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
4. Add nuts and mix well. Then prepare the ladoos by taking a small amount of the mixture and shaping it into a ball. Add milk if required, to make it moist.
Make these delicious sweets and enjoy the festivities.
